I loved the subtle trail of dust off the wheel the picture in my last entry left. It was from the Copper Harbor Fat Tire race Labor Day weekend. Things are getting wrapped up on another MT Bike season. Unlike years past I can't say I'm feeling all that remorseful.

Alot of strides & improvements were made but didn't always show up the way I'd like in the scoreboard at the end of the day.

The Copper Harbor race was one of those days. Before giving a recap on the day, I can't express how absolutely exhilarating the trails up there can be. On Labor Day weekend in the Midwest MTB'ing community it seems to be a split --there's this loyalty about some riders that feel the Jay Richards Laddie's Loppett races at their resort near Callaway,MN is this end all great thing. Not having been there or done that, I can't comment. I would find it difficult to near impossible to think it tops what the Keweenaw Adventure Company has put forth for the past 16 years with the Copper Harbor Fat Tire race... Maybe someone like Kyia Anderson who seems to have ridden dang near everywhere could comment... Kyia, are you out there? Can you give us the word? (She's perhaps never read my blog so I might have to ask one you to ask her to take a look & toss out a word.)

Find yourself up there sometime and the combination of IMBA & non-IMBA trails make for a ride you can't help but enjoy. The race does kick your tail but in a subtle way -- I'm not sure how the 4000 total feet of climbing in 24 mile race does it subtly but some how it does.
The race starts off parade style through the small town, then climbing up a pavement road. Perfect start to any MTB race as it distills the racer segmentation proportionately and amongst their fitness abilities, making it tough for someone to get into a group they can't hang with.

At the peak of the pavement part apparently 2 miles in, the course kicks it up another knotch with a seemingly steeper grade & it goes off road onto a slightly rocky double track section. As we left the pavement a group of 10, maybe 20 at most were there. It quickly thinned out, after being towards the back of the group on the pavement I'd road the right outside corner to jump in behind the three leaders who started to punch it up the double track climb. To no surprise of mine, it was the regular WORS pro/expert racers of Chris Peariso, Darrin Braun, & Nate Guerra. As good as they were moving I felt equally good, it was intense but not the red-lining lung busting I would have anticipated to feel riding with those guys. However they must have been moving well because in relatively short order, the four of us had a reasonable gap with Scott Golomski, Tom Carpenter, Scott Cole, Todd McFadden trailing.

Chris & Darrin got slightly out front of Nate, while I held his wheel. When it seemed like Nate was falling back of the other two I went by & told him to hang on and pulled us back to the as the climb crested & we when into a flat section of old forest roads with moderate sections of rolling terrain. Through a few of the rollers we stayed reasonably together, I'm thinking "Yes! this is the race I was looking to have -- I'm riding well, feeling strong." I recall looking down at the PowerTap seeing we were approaching 20minutes into the race and something in me just started to peter out -- soon Chris & Darrin rounded a corner & were out of sight. Nate & I were still together upon hitting the first section of single track as it's a slight decline & you can really rip up the course. But exiting that things still didn't come around so I dropped things back a notch or two, and let Nate ride off ahead. By the next singletrack section -- a theme that would become this race started -- the next two racers caught up to me Scott G. & Tom C. I road with them but upon getting off the gravel roads & into the primary single track that essential wound itself up the major climb they eventually pulled away. I wasn't quite figuring out why after the great start things were coming unglued, I just keep reminding myself "You're here to race for fun, you're here to race for fun" something I really forgot about at the previous weekend's Seeley Pre-Fat. By the time I'd reached the top of Mt Keewenaw, I had Scott Cole & Todd McFadden breathing down my neck. Both of which where encouraging me "Thanks guys!" But it just wasn't to be. Drinking water, taking gels, and endurolytes caps nothing was bringing me around. At that point, I knew how much longer the race was & if I didn't settle into some pace that was sustainable I was really going to crash hard internally if not in a physically sense on the eventually rocky downhill sections.

And that's what I pretty much did -- it's a two lap race so from 1/2 way thru the first lap until 1/2 way through the second lap I put it in cruise control. Praying no one else would come up from behind & that I could get myself back together to finish relatively strong. Well, the people not passing was only a pipe dream, but it did take awhile for anyone else to come by. First Matt Zak just before the downhill section I encouraged him to go down first. I followed him down hill well, I should have probably gone down first myself. But he pulled away on the double track climb that started lap 2. Again there was nobody for quite awhile until Chris Schotz & I believe Greg Cullen (or Ian Dunlap), came upon me just before reaching the golf course on Mt Keweenaw.

The best part about getting to that part of the race & in the second lap is you know the course is 2/3rds downhill after that point. If physically I didn't feel much better, mentally I was -- however a speedy Jesse Bell from Ishpeming caught me before the final "Red Trail" downhill section.

"Red Trail" is this wild rocky completely non-IMBA standard trail, it's much more fun than scary, but it's all realative to how fast you try it -- I absolutely love racing my Trek Full suspension 69er on it. It feels like it's the completely perfect bike for -- and really I admire you hard tail guys & any single speeders for trying the race course on those bikes. It's a tall order to perform.

Getting to down Red trail is one thing, because what follows is a more narly section called Paul's Plunge, but this year it was more aptly described as Paul's Falls. Well, just before that Kate, Marshall & Grace were at the lap split & finish area supporting me & cheering loud. (I couldn't have the races I do without them and it's great having a cheering section especially at tough points in the race. )

Getting to Paul's Plunge I was still holding back some, I wasn't sure who was still behind me & could catch on, but I figured if I could get down the hill safely. I should have a good chance sprinting the last flat, fast mile against most anyone there.

Now Paul's Plunge may be one of the best spectator cheering sections of any race you'll find -- yes, even besting Sheboygan's infamous "Equalizer" hill at the Wigwam MTB Challenge - people are just screaming & cheering you down this nasty rocky downhill. One guy, I think it was Ian Dunlap, had caught on to the back of me as we hit this section & chose the "less ideal" line -- ended up having to "huck" this 4 or 5 foot drop off onto some rather nasty stuff. The crowd went wild!! I wish I could have seen it rather than just concentrating on getting down hill myself.

Once at the bottom, it was time to just lay it all down & keep anyone else at bay. It worked more successfully than I thought, as in the final half mile around the lake I caught & passed a really dying Greg Cullen. It was enough to get back into the 10th place with a finish time of just over 2:06.

Which is a note worth mentioning... on the competition this year versus last years. In '08 outside of a mechanically with 4 miles to go, I'd of finished in about that same time -- which would have been 3rd place overall. Ouch... guess word is getting out.

Thanks to the town of Copper Harbor & the organizers for a fantastic setting for a great race. If it doesn't ever work out for a Labor Day weekend to join the race, make it a point to drive there & spend a day or two riding the trails -- you'll be hard pressed to be disappointed.

Post race was great catching up with everyone, my apologies to Nat Guerra for not being able to toss out my Big Air when his tire went flat on the first lap. The Ashland crew of Paul Belknap, Matt Hudson & Curt Cline that eats up courses like this unfortunately had their share of challenges, but just getting to ride at Copper Harbor seems to get their rocks off so I think they got over their disappointments quickly. Kelly McKnight, we missed you man! Stop breaking shit, stay healthy and do a race already. Congrats out to Diana McFadden, winning the female division -- taking home a sweet first place award in the long race!

Although there's plenty of races one can still take in -- I pretty much burned up everything I had for the season. I was tired out of my mind for the next three days that followed the race & topped off with sleeping terribly. Signs for me that the cumulative fatigue of the season is shutting down my body from doing any more damage than it already has. It's probably what was happening in the Copper Harbor race as well. Coach Powers tells me I'm a speed goat of sorts, I've got a big engine to hang with the fast guys but the candle burns out pretty quickly. Well, see if he's got any tricks up his sleeve to turn that around next season.

The obligatory Chequamegon Fat Tire 40 is now less than 2 weeks away, I plan to do as little as possible between now & then except rest & recover & hope to pull out a miracle ride. I'll either be more stale than 2 week old potato chips or fresh enough to finally the top 50 finish I've been aiming for. Fatman... know I'll be trying!!